In-ground or in-deck support is not utilized enough to provide passive lighting. Some types of ground lighting are known for gardens and which is supported on short pikes to give a high lighting effect with lateral light directed upon plants and garden areas. These types of lighting are inappropriate for high traffic areas where the object of providing lighting and being not significantly obstructive to walking is desired.
Conversely, walkways, parkways, roads, and the like are typically conventionally illuminated utilizing lighting systems that require wiring from one illuminated source to the next, such as overhead wiring or poles. Some illumination systems are solar powered and temporary with housing that are thrust into the ground with a steak and are not capable of being mounted into a surface or mounted to as to permit and illuminate pedestrian traffic. Another issue for pedestrian traffic is wear. Many custom wired in-sidewalk systems have painted plates which scuff and undergo the negative effects of sunlight destruction (fading) as well as heating and cooling.
Many potentially dangerous places to walk are not lighted because the expense of wiring and providing lighting in places not heavily frequented by pedestrians is not believed to be justified. Docks and areas surrounding docking areas may go days and weeks without foot traffic in the area. However, in a harbor environment lighting is critical because visibility, especially when it is needed, is frequently impaired by weather conditions and stored obstacles, such as carts, rope, floats paddles and small canoes on a dock.
A requirement of high maintenance is a cost issue which adds to the installation cost issue for all ground lighting, but especially lighting units mounted in the marine environment. The electrical distribution system has to be sufficiently upgraded over a system that would exist outside the marine environment and at increased cost. Failure of any distribution system in a marine environment occurs more frequently and at a higher cost of replacement. Maintenance of wired units requires much onsite time to dis-assemble, replace faulty components and then re-assemble on site.
Low power lighting has been effective for signs giving direct illumination to the viewer, and for some closely related reflective service where a structure is illuminated, typically a short distance from the light source. Attempts to provide usable, effective illumination for a low-height ground fixture having a passive solar light source have been challenging. Most walkway lighting involves custom raised installations with light being deliberately reflected from provided structures or with light being directed downward to a surface that is expected to be in a defined and known location and have known characteristics. A good example of the latter includes stairs where each stair is illuminated from above.
Other instances include high power lights that are directed and focused upwardly are those used to illuminate improvements to real estate including buildings, walls, signs and landscaping. Except for landscaping, the aforementioned illumination is often high power. Illumination of landscaping still falls in the decorative category as most are illuminated from positions that are distanced from walkways. Illumination of landscaping on a smaller home scale may be low power solar and is also located away from walk ways, but is also most often downwardly directed. Where low power solar lighting is downwardly directed, and where the height of the light source is known, it may be more certain to be able to specify the distribution of light needed. Lighting that is not for direct viewing of the light source (decorative), and which is not for illuminating a known target, even under low power conditions, has to be designed with a higher level of expected usage variability than other applications with fixed parameters.
What is needed is a low maintenance lighting system, utilizable in a relatively low pedestrian traffic environment, that is inexpensive to install, inexpensive to replace (and/or repair), and which has wear characteristics that will not exhibit significantly noticeable wear if trod upon. The needed system should be available at a range of costs and capabilities to encourage the installation of a low-tech version of the system in facilities which demand the lowest cost system, and to encourage the installation of a high-tech version of the system in facilities which demand a higher level of service & control.
For a horizontal mounted, upwardly directed lighting system fixture the need for a controlled lateral light projection can be significant. What is needed is a light fixture that can provide significant, even, lateral illumination and can consequently act as both a highly visible low power light source at a distance, as well as to provide illumination of surrounding structures near the light installation, including overhead structures and lateral structures. A needed system should have the capability for illumination at a wide angle, if desired, while maintaining a low height profile. Further, it would be preferable that lighting have a capability for users and installers to specify locations in a low height support where lights could be positioned in order enable user specifiability of a predominant direction for a lighting view factor. Any structure which also enabled placement of lights as close to an upper protective transmissive surface is needed.